How to ace your sales interview

BY KRISTIN CONDON

 

In the Interview:

  1. Treat an interview like you would treat the first meeting with a new prospect. In other words: remember that you are selling and that the interviewer is buying. In later stages of the interview process—once the employer has decided that you could be a valuable contributor to their company—you can start buying and let them sell the culture, package and opportunity to you. THIS IS NOT THAT TIME!
  2. You should be engaging and polite at all times. Listen to the interviewer’s questions and ensure you have adequately answered them
  3. Be careful of asking too many or inappropriate questions at this stage. There are good questions for you to ask in a first interview and there are bad questions to ask. Good questions show that you are interested in the client, the culture and their goals for the role (e.g. asking the interviewer what attracted them to the company). Bad questions make it seem that you are only interested in what is in it for you (e.g. asking how much money you will make in your first year).
  4. Beware: Be mindful of interviews that seem really casual and friendly! It’s often a trap to see how in control you are of the sales process. Remember, your goal is to move yourself forward to the next round of the interview process. Be friendly, build rapport, but make sure you stay on focus!

Closing the Interview

  1. Recognize when your interviewer is trying to wrap up the interview—don’t overstay your welcome
  2. As a good sales person, you want to ensure you are moving to the next step. A great way to do this would be to thank the interviewer for their time, reiterate your strongest attributes for the role, and let them know that you are interested in the opportunity and moving forward. Finally ask if there are any concerns that they have that would stop you progressing further so that you can address them before your leave or follow-up with a response

Post Interview

  1. Immediately following your interview, call your Sales Talent Agent to let them know how it went (they will then know that the interview is ended and will get additional feedback from the interviewer)
  2. Send a thank you email (would not suggest card – takes longer) – be sure to proof read – it is such a positive thing to do and if there are spelling/grammatical mistakes, this will only hurt you vs. help you – feel free to send to your Sales Talent Agent for review first if you want feedback

Ready to put these tips to the test? Check out our open sales positions today!